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Opinion Contributor

Fed up with lack of political civility

Lauren Valle of liberal group MoveOn.org was taken to the ground by supporters of Republican U.S. Senate candidate Rand Paul. | AP Photo/WDRB/Louisville
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But, a clear value in the early Christian Church was unity and overcoming division. The Apostle Paul used the image of a body, in which a diverse group of people had different talents and roles, but how important it was that they all work together.

Tough times often bring together people to overcome their differences and find solutions to difficult problems. This is happening across the country in families, communities and congregations.

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But there is the alternate reality that tough times can lead people to find scapegoats and turn away from their neighbors in fear. The cable TV and talk radio hosts are doing their best to encourage that. Even though they dominate the 24/7 news cycle, we can’t let them win.

This doesn’t mean that politicians should leave their principles behind, or stop fighting for what they believe in. “None of us shrank from partisan debates while in Congress or from the partisan contests getting there,” the former members of Congress wrote in their letter, “During our time in Congress, partisans on the other side may have been our opponents on some bills and our adversaries on some issues. They were not, however, the enemy.”

Martin Luther King Jr. fought passionately and successfully for deeply held moral beliefs against stiff opposition. But, you never heard the kind of poisonous language and demonization of “the other side” as is so common from our politicians and pundits today.

Legislators are likely to be sorely tempted to take the easy road of demonizing the other side and making outrageous accusations to win a partisan fight or get themselves another cable TV interview. Republicans need a better purpose than to make Obama a one-term president; and Democrats need to be committed to more than just reelecting the president.

I believe there are a lot of people ready to listen to and follow those who are ready to go past the partisan surface and go to the roots of our most serious problems. There is a constituency ready to respond to political leaders who do what so many of the rest of us have to do every day -- put aside our differences and get things done.

As religious leaders, we said to one another and to the country, “We pledge that when we disagree, we will do so respectfully… and recognizing in humility that in our limited, human opinions, ‘we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror.’”

From freshman legislators to the long-term veterans please, don’t sacrifice your principles but use your leadership to make civility sexy. It just might be what we need to get stuff done.

Jim Wallis is the author of “Rediscovering Values” and chief executive officer of Sojourners. He blogs at www.godspolitics.com.

Readers' Comments (68)

Real Change will come eventually. This Country has a history of change through revolution and bloodshed. This could happen again. This call for Civility is again another way to maintain CONTROL over the masses. Trying to make everything so polite and proper has really dumbed down America and has made sissys out of everyone. People have the right to voice how they feel in any manner they want to. Change requires force and sometimes belligerance. All this Civility is just away to make it easier for Washington to maintain Control and resist change. My feeling is, if you can't take the heat GET OUT ! People are FED UP ,Angry and on the verge of Hostility. The politicians are worried about it. If they can't maintain control they might actually have to do what the people have asked of them. Well I say GET READY. We are no longer going to allow them to weaken and make pansys out of Americans. We want change and a new direction for America. The no confidence vote Obama and the Democrats got November 2nd was a message. People are running out of patience. We want to austerity here, no more Spending and NO more borrowing ! Smaller Government and less government intervention in our lives. It's really that simple. So you can call for civility all you want. We have seen how much good that does. ZERO ! America has changed, it's time the media caught up don't ya think ?

Why do peple think Militias have exploded in the last two years ? They want to be ready. America has fundamentally changed and this is scary for the media and the politicians. They are losing control ! This article is just more propaganda, Be weak, go with the flow, co-operate, be quiet ! Just more of the weakening brain washing they do everyday !

And the holier-than-thou marxist has spoken. LOL Preaching propaganda directly from the whitehouse. Voters will restore civility in 2012 when we oust Obama and the rest of you cronies out of the whitehouse.

Real Change will come eventually. This Country has a history of change through revolution and bloodshed. This could happen again. This call for Civility is again another way to maintain CONTROL over the masses. Trying to make everything so polite and proper has really dumbed down America and has made sissys out of everyone. People have the right to voice how they feel in any manner they want to. Change requires force and sometimes belligerance. All this Civility is just away to make it easier for Washington to maintain Control and resist change. My feeling is, if you can't take the heat GET OUT ! People are FED UP ,Angry and on the verge of Hostility. The politicians are worried about it. If they can't maintain control they might actually have to do what the people have asked of them. Well I say GET READY. We are no longer going to allow them to weaken and make pansys out of Americans. We want change and a new direction for America. The no confidence vote Obama and the Democrats got November 2nd was a message. People are running out of patience. We want to austerity here, no more Spending and NO more borrowing ! Smaller Government and less government intervention in our lives. It's really that simple. So you can call for civility all you want. We have seen how much good that does. ZERO ! America has changed, it's time the media caught up don't ya think ?

Fed up that there has not been nearly enough backbone in the opposition to the socialist swine(produced by America's feebleminded) that is turning the US into a pigsty. I can be more uncivil if you'd like!

"During our time in congress, partisans on the other side may have been our opponents on some bills and our advesaries on some issues, They were not however, the enemy. You may wish to tell that to our President. Also, I'm curious, was the good Rev. Wright involved in this group?

I'm all for people not punching each other and fighting but this call for "bi-partisanship" every two- four years (especially when Democrats get beat badly) is getting old. Our country has a rich tradition of name-calling, knock down drag out (sometimes literally) politics. The early days of our country would make today's look mild indeed. I'm sure Politico is aware of this, as all the other MSM outlets but we still get this "call for civility".

I don't want the people I help elect to compromise on the principles they campaigned on (lower taxes, less government), stronger national security (w/o groping innocent flyers)..

When lawmakers come together to be "civil" we end up with massive deficit- busting programs, higher taxes, etc. Why? Because every lawmaker will want his/her goodies in order to vote for it! I'd rather have people who refused to compromise on Constitutional issues. Yeah it sounds old-fashioned, unrealistic to the inside-the beltway types but not to we average Americans...

Why do peple think Militias have exploded in the last two years ? They want to be ready. America has fundamentally changed and this is scary for the media and the politicians. They are losing control ! This article is just more propaganda, Be weak, go with the flow, co-operate, be quiet ! Just more of the weakening brain washing they do everyday !

Do you really what a civil war if you don't get the government to do what YOU want?

Do you really what a civil war if you don't get the government to do what YOU want?

Militias are there for protection not aggression. This Government is not to be trusted and the day may come when we have to protect our liberties. Many things have been taken away from us in the name of Progress or for the Good of Country. Don't be fooled. Just be alert and aware there are groups of people out here that respect and are ready to defend OUR constitution . Washington, aided by the media, seems h-e-l-l bent on distroying it or bending it to suit their purpose.

Perhaps Politico only had room for one photo to accompany this author's appeal for civility. And I'm not sure whether the author or the editors decided that the assault by Rand Paul supporters should represent the issue instead of the assault by Bob Etheridge. But if pictures from incidents on *both* sides of the aisle were shown here, I could give this appeal more credence.

I don't support violent action by any group in politics. However - angry, impolite, politically incorrect disagreements are as American as:

"John Adams is a blind, bald, crippled, toothless man who wants to start a war with France. While he's not busy importing mistresses from Europe, he's trying to marry one of his sons to a daughter of King George. Haven't we had enough monarchy in America?"

I try to use civility in my life and would love to see more of it in politics. But when some voters feel their anger is the only way they seem to be heard (or feared) by Washington, they use the anger.

"When the people fear their government, there is tyranny; when the government fears the people, there is liberty." - Thomas Jefferson

Sometimes actions like that are needed to get peoples attention and support. America has changed since Obama got elected and the people had the Democratic agenda shoved down their throats, and generations of debt piled on us. There is LOTS of anger and hostility out here. It is just below the surface. The no confidence vote for Obama and the Democrats got November 2nd, I believe was the warning. The Country is going in the WRONG direction. Now they can STOP right now. Stop the Spending, Stop piling anymore debt on us, Stop trying to force changes in our Healthcare that nobody wanted or they can continue to fuel the fire and face the consequences. No matter how they try to justify it there can be no more spending, Government must be cut. No increase in the debt limit. No unemployment extensions unless FULLY PAID FOR in ADVANCE. The Healthcare reform will be rolled back or defunded, no immigration reform and no START treaty until our newly elected Legislators look it over. This is what the people want. The media really needs to get out in rural America more. Then they will feel the anger and hostility the people have for Washington. The waste of lives and treasure on a war(Afghanistan) we can never win, billions of our dollars given as bribes to other countries in the form of foreign aid while OUR COUNTRY is BROKE ? The continued attempt to spend money we don't have on yet again another union payback in the form of a transportaion stimulus package ? How stupid does Washington think we are and how long do they think we are going to let them walk all over us ? Time really is running out you know. The politicians can try to justify their need to spend more money or try to scare us into letting them spend more money or increase the debt limit. But none of it is going to work anymore. America has changed. The message November 2nd was we are going in the WRONG direction. Now is Washington going to listen to us or not ? If not then don't complain with the reaction from the people. Civility will play no part in it !

There can only be so much civility when the Marxist progressives are determined to impose tyranny, and they will not compromise, as we were clearly shown over the last two years.

Or if you are not with me then you are not a patriot as in the eight years before the last two. All are guilty of this game so look within before you make more a fool of yourself than you already have.

Or if you are not with me then you are not a patriot as in the eight years before the last two. All are guilty of this game so look within before you make more a fool of yourself than you already have.

There are no fools here. The fact is America has finally awakened and will not put up with it anymore. Enough is Enough. Washington cannot fool us anymore ! These are the true Patroits.

The Conservatives are even turning on the religious! Wow! That's surprising. Your posts here are precious today. So many "yeah- but" and "no fools here" (always a fool that says that) as well as hateful comments about getting along.

Luckily, some of us do care about civility. I know that doesn't include the Palin crowd because she doesn't model civility in any form (even to former Republican first ladies). The dumbing down of America will not prevail and neither will the lack of civility and respect for each of us.

I've read that "Patriots" don't actually judge others' patriotism. They are too busy performing their own. You might want to take note of that Ken from Grand Rapids. Patriotism comes from acts Ken- it has nothing to do with your idle words splashed about on Politico.